Architecture as Microcosm: Interview with Architects Barclay & Crousse Coming to an Exhibition in Milan

Architects Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse, founders of Barclay & Crousse Architecture, are the subject of a feature interview and exhibition in Milan. The studio, established in Paris in 1994 and now based in Peru, is known for projects that deeply engage with the Peruvian landscape, particularly the coastal desert between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. Their notable works include the Lugar de la Memoria (Lima, 2015), the Museo de Paracas (2016), and the Franco-Peruvian School in Lima (2025), which recently won the Grand International Prize at the X Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Santa Cruz (Bolivia) in 2026. The article traces their education across Peru, France, and Italy, and their return to Peru in 2006, where they continue to run a French branch called Atelier Nord Sud.

This article matters because it highlights a leading Latin American architecture firm that blends modernist principles with indigenous Peruvian building traditions, creating what they call 'microcosms' that integrate architecture, climate, and territory. Their recognition with major awards such as the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize and the Oscar Niemeyer Prize underscores the global relevance of their approach to sustainability, spatial design, and cultural identity. The exhibition in Milan brings their work to an international audience, reinforcing the growing interest in architecture that responds to extreme environments and vernacular strategies.